Reclosable package including self-mating fastener

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments of a reclosable package (100) are disclosed. The package (100) includes a pouch (120) that defines an interior volume (122) and an opening (124) providing access to the interior volume, and a self-mating fastener (150) connected to the pouch. The pouch (120) includes a flexible material and a seal region (140) disposed adjacent the opening that is adapted to be broken to allow a first opening of the pouch. Further, the self-mating fastener (150) includes an open configuration and a closed configuration. When in the open configuration the self-mating fastener is adapted to allow access to the interior volume of the pouch through the opening after the seal region has been broken. When in the closed configuration the self-mating fastener is adapted to prevent access to the interior volume of the pouch through the opening.

BACKGROUND

Fasteners are used in a variety of applications, including construction,machinery, medical equipment, automobile assembly, personal careproducts, and the textile industry. Commonly known fasteners range fromrivets, snaps and buttons to hook and loop fasteners, each of whichinvolve joining unlike components (e.g., male and female components) forassembling two articles together. Some fasteners, which are sometimescalled self-mating fasteners or hook-and-hook fasteners, are composed ofinterlocking members that do not include male and female components. Forassembling two articles together, each fastening member is attached to asurface of its respective article, and the two articles are joinedtogether when the fastening members are mated.

Certain fasteners have been reported that include different structureson the same fastening member. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,372(Eguchi); U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,374 (Clune); U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,032(Nortman); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,604 (Galkiewicz). The differentstructures may have different shapes, sizes, or abilities to engage.

Reclosable packages can be used as containers for various consumer goodssuch as dry goods, food such as potato chips and cheese, animal food,lawncare products, etc. Such packages are available in a variety ofshapes and sizes. Further, various reclosable packages can be multi-usecontainers that can maintain storage of consumer goods disposed withinthe packages for a desired number of openings and closings of thepackage. For example, a multi-use package can provide access by a userto the contents disposed within the package and then be closed toprevent the contents from spilling out of the package. These multi-usepackages can include built-in fasteners that can be repeatedly openedand closed. Further, various multi-use packages can also be resealedafter the first opening of the packages to keep the contents fresh andfree from intrusion by various external elements such as air, moisture,and various contaminants.

Typically, reclosable packages can be made from one or more sheets orfilms that include one or more flexible materials. A film can be foldedand sealed together to form a pouch having an interior volume and anopening through which consumer goods can be disposed within the volume.A fastener can be disposed adjacent the opening that can be repeatedlymanipulated from a closed configuration to an open configuration.

Some reclosable packages having self-mating fasteners have beenreported. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,641,278 (Ducauchuis) andU.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. Nos. 2006/0168776 (Dais) and 2013/0071047(VanLoocke).

SUMMARY

In general, the present disclosure provides various embodiments of areclosable package that includes a self-mating fastener. The self-matingfastener can be connected to a pouch. The self-mating fastener caninclude an open configuration and a closed configuration. When in theopen configuration, the self-mating fastener is adapted to allow accessto an interior volume of the pouch through an opening disposed in thepouch after a first opening of the pouch. Further, when in the closedconfiguration, the self-mating fastener is adapted to prevent access tothe interior volume of the pouch through the opening.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a reclosable package thatincludes a pouch defining an interior volume and an opening providingaccess to the interior volume, where the pouch includes a flexiblematerial and a seal region disposed adjacent the opening that is adaptedto be broken to allow a first opening of the pouch. The reclosablepackage also includes a self-mating fastener connected to the pouch,where the self-mating fastener includes first and second fastenermembers. Each of the first and second fastener members includes abacking having a length, a width, and a thickness, and rows of railsegments and rows of posts protruding perpendicularly from the backing,where the rows of rail segments and rows of posts alternate. Each of therail segments has a base portion attached to the backing and a capportion distal from the backing, where the cap portion has a cap widththat is greater than a width of the base portion, and where the capportion overhangs the base portion on opposing sides. Further, the baseportion has a length that is greater than the width of the base portion,and each of the posts has a height that is no greater than a height ofthe rail segments and a length that is different from the length of therail segments. The self-mating fastener further includes an openconfiguration and a closed configuration. When in the open configurationthe self-mating fastener is adapted to allow access to the interiorvolume of the pouch through the opening after the seal region has beenbroken. When in the closed configuration the self-mating fastener isadapted to prevent access to the interior volume of the pouch throughthe opening.

All headings provided herein are for the convenience of the reader andshould not be used to limit the meaning of any text that follows theheading, unless so specified.

The terms “comprises” and variations thereof do not have a limitingmeaning where these terms appear in the description and claims. Suchterms will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated step orelement or group of steps or elements but not the exclusion of any otherstep or element or group of steps or elements.

Terms such as “a”, “an” and “the” are not intended to refer to only asingular entity, but include the general class of which a specificexample may be used for illustration. The terms “a”, “an”, and “the” areused interchangeably with the term “at least one”.

The phrase “comprises at least one of” followed by a list refers tocomprising any one of the items in the list and any combination of twoor more items in the list. The phrase “at least one of” followed by alist refers to any one of the items in the list or any combination oftwo or more items in the list.

As used herein, the term “or” is generally employed in its usual senseincluding “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

The term “and/or” means one or all of the listed elements or acombination of any two or more of the listed elements.

The term “machine direction” (MD) as used herein denotes the directionof a running web of material during a manufacturing process. When astrip is cut from a continuous web, the dimension in the machinedirection corresponds to the length “L” of the strip. The terms “machinedirection” and “longitudinal direction” may be used interchangeably. Theterm “cross-machine direction” (CD) as used herein denotes the directionwhich is essentially perpendicular to the machine direction. When astrip is cut from a continuous web, the dimension in the cross-machinedirection corresponds to the width “W” of the strip. Accordingly, theterm “width” typically refers to the shorter dimension in the plane ofthe first surface of the backing, which is the surface bearing the railsegments and posts. As used herein the term “thickness” usually refersto the smallest dimension of the fastener, which is the dimensionperpendicular to the first surface of the backing.

The term “alternating” as used herein refers to one row of rail segmentsbeing disposed between any two adjacent rows of posts (i.e., the rows ofposts have only one row of rail segments between them) and one row ofposts being disposed between any two adjacent rows of rail segments.

The term “perpendicular” as used herein to refer to the relationshipbetween the backing and the rail segments and/or posts includessubstantially perpendicular. “Substantially perpendicular” means thatthe planes defined by the backing and a row of rail segments or postscan deviate from perpendicular by up to 10 (in some embodiments, up to7.5 or 5) degrees.

As used herein in connection with a measured quantity, the term “about”refers to that variation in the measured quantity as would be expectedby the skilled artisan making the measurement and exercising a level ofcare commensurate with the objective of the measurement and theprecision of the measuring equipment used. Herein, “up to” a number(e.g., up to 50) includes the number (e.g., 50).

All numerical ranges are inclusive of their endpoints and nonintegralvalues between the endpoints unless otherwise stated (e.g., 1 to 5includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, 5, etc.).

These and other aspects of the present disclosure will be apparent fromthe detailed description below. In no event, however, should the abovesummaries be construed as limitations on the claimed subject matter,which subject matter is defined solely by the attached claims, as may beamended during prosecution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure may be more completely understood in consideration of thefollowing detailed description of various embodiments of the disclosurein connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a fastenerof the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of the fastener of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is a schematic side view of the fastener of FIG. 1A, which sideview is orthogonal to the side view shown in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of afastener of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a schematic side view of the fastener of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C is a schematic side view of an embodiment of a fastening systemof the present disclosure in which both fastener members include thefastener of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

FIG. 3A is a schematic side view of an embodiment of fastener of thepresent disclosure undergoing deformation during fastening, with straincalculated by Finite Element Modeling depicted by shading.

FIG. 3B is a schematic side view of the fastener of FIG. 3A afterfastening, with residual strain calculated by Finite Element Modelingdepicted by shading.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a fastener not according to thepresent disclosure, with permanent plastic deformation after fasteningcalculated by Finite Element Modeling depicted by shading.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front plan view of one embodiment of a reclosablepackage.

FIG. 6 is a schematic rear plan view of the reclosable package of FIG.5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic top perspective view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-section view of a portion of the reclosablepackage of FIG. 5 with an embodiment of the fastener of the presentdisclosure disposed in a closed configuration.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-section view of a portion of the reclosablepackage of FIG. 5 with an embodiment of the fastener of the presentdisclosure disposed in an open configuration with the upper seal regionstill intact.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-section view of a portion of the reclosablepackage of FIG. 5 with an embodiment of the fastener of the presentdisclosure disposed in the open configuration.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-section view an embodiment of the openingof the reclosable package of FIG. 5 when the fastener is in the closedconfiguration.

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of areclosable package.

FIG. 13 is a schematic front plan view of the reclosable package of FIG.11.

FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of areclosable package.

FIG. 15 is a schematic front plan view of the reclosable package of FIG.13.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an apparatus andmethod used to form a reclosable package.

FIG. 17 is a photo micrograph of the fastener made in Example 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of a fastener of the present disclosure is shown in FIGS.1A, 1B, and 1C. Fastener 1 includes a backing 2 having a length (l), awidth (w), and a thickness (t). Fastener 1 includes rows 14 of railsegments 4. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A, 1B, and 1C, therail segments 4 protrude perpendicularly from the backing 2. Each of therail segments 4 has a base portion 10 attached to the backing 2 and acap portion 8 distal from the backing 2. The cap portion 8 has a capwidth X4 that is greater than the width X1 of the base portion 10, andthe cap portion 8 overhangs the base portion 10 on opposing sides. Theratio of the cap width X4 to the width X1 of the base portion 10 istypically at least 1.25:1, 1.5:1, or 2:1 and can be up to 3:1, 4:1, or5:1. FIG. 1B illustrates the cap overhang distance X6. In someembodiments, the cap portion 8 overhangs the base portion 10 on allsides of base portion 10. FIG. 1C illustrates the cap overhang distanceY5, in the direction parallel to the length (l) of the fastener 1. Capsalso have a cap thickness, which, if the cap is not rectilinear, ismeasured as a distance between a line tangent to the highest point onthe cap above the backing and a line tangent to lowest point on the capabove the backing. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B, thecap thickness is Z1 minus Z2. From the term “rows of rail segments”, itshould be understood that each row 14 includes more than one railsegment 4. The fastener 1 does not include a continuous rail; insteadthe rail segments 4 are separated from each other on the backing 2. Forexample, the caps 8 of the rail segments 4 in a row 14 are separated bycap-to-cap distance Y3 in the direction parallel to the length (l) ofthe fastener 1.

The base portion 10 of the rail segment 4 has a length Y1 that isgreater than the width X1 of the base portion 10. In some embodiments,the ratio of the length Y1 to the width X1 of the base portion 10 is atleast about 1.5:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, or 5:1, 10:1, or 15:1. The baseportion 10 of the rail segment 4 may have a variety of cross-sectionshapes. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the base portion 10may be a polygon (e.g., rectangle, hexagon, or octagon), or thecross-sectional shape of the base portion 10 may be curved (e.g.,elliptical). The base portion 10 may taper from its base to its distalend. In this case and in the case of curved base portions, the ratio ofthe length Y1 to the width X1 of the base portion 10 is measured fromthe longest and the widest point. As shown in FIG. 1B the length Y1 ofthe base portion at its longest point is about the same as the length ofthe cap portion.

For embodiments such as the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1C, baseportions 10 that taper from their bases to their distal ends have asloping face and a taper angle A1 between the sloping face and thebacking 2. In some embodiments, the taper angle A1 between the slopingface of the base portion 10 and the backing 2 is in a range from 91degrees to 130 degrees, in some embodiments, in a range from 91 degreesto 125 degrees, 95 degrees to 120 degrees, 95 degrees to 115 degrees, 95degrees to 110 degrees, 93 degrees to 105 degrees, or 95 degrees to 100degrees.

In some embodiments, the rail segments 4 have a maximum height Z1 (abovethe backing 2) of up to 3 millimeter (mm), 1.5 mm, or 1 mm and, in someembodiments, a minimum height of at least 0.1 mm or 0.2 mm. The heightZ1 of the rail segments 4 can be in a range from 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm, 0.3mm to 0.6 mm, or 0.35 mm to 0.55 mm. The thickness Z7 of the cap portion8 of rail segments 4 can be in a range from 0.03 mm to 0.3 mm, 0.04 mmto 0.15 mm, or 0.04 mm to 0.1 mm. In some embodiments, the base portions10 of the rail segments 4 have a maximum width X1 of up to about 0.5 mm,0.4 mm, 0.3 mm, or 0.2 mm and a minimum width of at least 0.05 mm, 0.1mm, or 0.125 mm. Some useful widths X1 of the base portions 10 are in arange from 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm, 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, or 0.125 mm to 0.175 mm.Some useful cap widths X4 of the rail segments 4 are in a range from 0.1mm to 1.0 mm, 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm, 0.3 mm to 0.45 mm, or 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm.Some useful cap overhang distances X6 of the rail segments 4 are in arange from 0.025 mm to 0.4 mm, 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm, or 0.1 m to 0.25 mm.In some embodiments, the rail segments 4 have a maximum length Y1 of upto about 1.5 mm (in some embodiments, up to 1.25, 1.0, 0.9, or 0.8) mmand a minimum length Y1 of at least about 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.4 mm, or 0.5mm. The length Y1 of the rail segments can be in a range from 0.1 mm to1.5 mm, 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm, or 0.600 mm to 0.800 mm. Some useful capoverhang distances Y5 of the rail segments 4 in the length direction arein a range from 0.025 mm to 0.2 mm, 0.025 mm to 0.1 mm, or 0.04 mm to0.075 mm. In some embodiments, the cap-to-cap distance Y3 in thedirection parallel to the length (l) of the fastener 1 is up to about0.5 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.3 mm, or 0.25 mm and at least about 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm,or 0.125 mm. Some useful cap-to-cap distances Y3 are in a range from0.05 mm to 0.5 mm, 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm, or 0.125 mm to 0.225 mm.

The fastener of the present disclosure typically also comprises rows ofposts. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, thefastener 1 includes rows 16 of posts 6 protruding perpendicularly fromthe backing 2. In some embodiments, the rows 14 of rail segments 4 androws 16 of posts 6 alternate. The fastener 1 can have at least 2, 3, 5,or 10 of the rows 14 of rail segments 4 alternating with at least 2, 3,5, or 10 of the rows 16 of posts 6. From the term “rows of posts”, itshould be understood that each row 16 includes more than one post 6. Thefastener 1 does not include a continuous ridge; instead the posts 6 areseparated from each other on the backing 2. For example, the posts 6 ina row 16 are separated by a distance Y4 in the direction parallel to thelength (l) of the fastener 1. In general, the posts have a length thatis different from the length of the rail segments. In the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, the length Y1 of the base portion10 of the rail segments 4 is greater than the length Y2 of the post 6,and the number of posts 6 in one of the rows 16 of posts is more thanthe number of rail segments 4 in one of the rows of rail segments 14.The length Y1 of the base portion 10 of the rail segments 4 can be atleast two, three, or four times the length Y2 of the posts 6. The numberof posts 6 in one of the rows 16 of posts can be at least 1.5, 2, or 3times the number of rail segments 4 in one of the rows of rail segments14. Since the fastener 1 is useful as a self-mating fastener, the postsgenerally have a height that is no greater than a height of the railsegments. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, theheight Z3 of the posts 6 is less than the height Z1 of the rail segments4. In some embodiments, the height Z3 of posts 6 is up to 95, 90, 80,75, or 70 percent of the height Z1 of the rail segments 4.

Posts useful in the fastener of the present disclosure may have avariety of cross-sectional shapes in a plane parallel to the backing.For example, the cross-sectional shape of the post may be a polygon(e.g., square, rectangle, rhombus, hexagon, pentagon, or dodecagon),which may be a regular polygon or not, or the cross-sectional shape ofthe post may be curved (e.g., round or elliptical). In some embodiments,the post has a base attached to the backing and a distal tip, and thedistal tip has a cross-sectional area that is less than or equal to across-sectional area of the base. The post may taper from its base toits distal tip, but this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, thepost has a distal cap with a cap width that is greater than the width ofthe base. The cap can overhang the base on opposing sides or mayoverhang the base on all sides. Capped posts useful in the fastener ofthe present disclosure can have a variety of useful shapes including amushroom (e.g., with a circular or oval head enlarged with respect tothe stem), a nail, a T, or a golf tee.

Referring again to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, in some embodiments, posts 6useful in the fastener of the present disclosure have a maximum width X2of up to about 0.5 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.3 mm, or 0.2 mm and a minimum width ofat least 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, or 0.125 mm. Some useful widths X2 of theposts 6 are in a range from 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm, 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, or0.125 mm to 0.175 mm. In some embodiments, posts 6 useful in thefastener of the present disclosure have a maximum length Y2 of up toabout 0.5 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.3 mm, or 0.2 mm and a minimum width of at least0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, or 0.125 mm. Some useful widths Y2 of the post 6 are ina range from 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm, 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, 0.1 mm to 0.15 mm, or0.125 mm to 0.175 mm. In some embodiments, the distance Y4 between posts6 in the direction parallel to the length (l) of the fastener 1 is up toabout up to about 1.5 mm (in some embodiments, up to 1.25, 1.0, 0.9, or0.8) mm and at least about 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, or 0.4 mm. The distance Y4between posts 6 can be in a range from 0.1 mm to 1.5 mm, 0.2 mm to 1.0mm, or 0.400 mm to 0.600 mm.

For embodiments such as the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1C, posts 6that taper from their bases to their distal tips have a sloping face anda taper angle A2 between the sloping face and the backing 2. In someembodiments, the taper angle A2 between the sloping face of the post 6and the backing 2 is in a range from 91 degrees to 130 degrees, in someembodiments, in a range from 91 degrees to 125 degrees, 91 degrees to120 degrees, 91 degrees to 115 degrees, 91 degrees to 110 degrees, 91degrees to 105 degrees, or 95 degrees to 100 degrees.

In some embodiments, the posts 6 have a maximum height Z3 (above thebacking 2) of up to 2.85 millimeter (mm), 1.25 mm, or 1 mm and, in someembodiments, a minimum height of at least 0.08 mm or 0.16 mm. The heightZ3 of the posts can be in a range from 0.2 mm to 0.6 mm, 0.3 mm to 0.6mm, 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm, or 0.35 mm to 0.55 mm. In some embodiments, eachof the posts has a height to width aspect ratio that is at least 1.5:1,at least 2:1, or at least 3:1. In some embodiments, each of the postshas a height to length aspect ratio that is at least 1.5:1, at least2:1, or at least 3:1.

Another embodiment of a fastener of the present disclosure is shown inFIGS. 2A and 2B. In this embodiment, the cap portion 8 of the railsegment 4 has a different shape than the cap portion 8 of the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C. The features and dimensions of any of theembodiments described above for the fastener shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and1C can be used in combination with the fastener shown in FIGS. 2A and 2Bto provide corresponding embodiments.

Fastener 1 is useful, for example, as a self-mating fastener. As usedherein, self-mating refers to fasteners in which fastening isaccomplished by interengaging fastening elements of the same type (e.g.,fastening heads). In some embodiments, self-mating refers to fastenersin which fastening is accomplished by interengaging fastening elementsof identical shape. In some embodiments, self-mating refers to theability for the fastener to engage with itself when it is in a foldedconfiguration, for example, along an axis parallel to either the length(L) or width (W) of the fastener, referring to FIGS. 1A and 2A. Twofastener members (e.g., first and second fastener members (1,5)), eachhaving the structure shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, for example, can befastened together in a self-mating engagement as shown in FIG. 2C. Insome embodiments, a first fastener member 1 is a fastener of the presentdisclosure as described above in any of its embodiments, and a secondfastener member may include the rail segments but not include the posts.In some embodiments, the first and second fastener members may bedifferent embodiments of the fastener of the present disclosure. Forexample, the first fastener member 1 may have a cap shape like thatshown in FIG. 1A and a second fastener member 5 may have a cap shapelike that shown in FIG. 2A. In any of these embodiments, when the firstand second fastener members 1, 5 undergo fastening, the posts typicallybend away from the rail segments while the cap portions of the railsegments of the first and second fastener members pass by each other asshown in FIG. 3A. The posts then return to their original positionsafter the first and second fastener members are fastened as shown inFIG. 3B.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the posts have a lower bendingstiffness than that of the rail segments. The bending stiffness k forsmall strain behavior is determined by the equation k=3EI/H, in which Eis the modulus of the material making up the posts and the railsegments, H is the height of the posts or rail segments, and I=W³L/12,in which W is the width and L is the length of the posts or railsegments. In some embodiments, the length of the base portion of therail segments is greater than a length of the posts. In theseembodiments, when the width of the base portion and the width of theposts are similar, the bending stiffness of the rail segments will behigher than the bending stiffness of the posts. Referring again to FIG.1A, the rows 14 of rail segments 4 can collectively have a higherbending stiffness than rows 16 of posts 6. When there are more posts 6in a row 16 of posts, the bending stiffness of the posts can be adjusted(e.g., by selection length or width) so that collectively the row 16 ofposts 6 has less bending stiffness than a row 14 of rail segments 4. Thebending stiffness of each row of rail segments or posts can bedetermined by the number of rail segments or posts in each row and thebending stiffness of each of the rail segments or posts.

In some embodiments, the fastening system of the present disclosure isreleasably fastenable. As used herein, the term “releasably fastenable”means that the fastener members can alternate between the fastened andunfastened configurations one or more times without destroying thefunctionality of the fastener. Typically and advantageously, the uniquestructure of the fastener of the present disclosure can allow formultiple cycles of fastening and unfastening without excessive plastic(i.e., irreversible) deformation of the engaging rail segments. Asdescribed in detail in the Examples, below, a comparative fastener thatincludes rail segments but no posts can undergo fastening when the railsegments are pushed against and past one another for interlocking. Thecap portions of the rail segments of comparative fastener exhibit arelative high degree of plastic (i.e., irreversible) deformation aftersuch engagement as shown in FIG. 4. The plastic deformation can limitthe ability of the comparative fastener to be unfastened and refastenedsince the shape of the fastener is altered by the first and successiveengagements. In contrast, in the fastening system of the presentdisclosure when the first and second fastener members undergo fastening,the posts undergo elastic deformation while the cap portions of the railsegments of the first and second fastener members pass by each other asshown in FIG. 3A. The cap portions of the rail segments of the fastenerof the present disclosure exhibit a relative low degree of plastic(i.e., irreversible) deformation after engagement as shown in FIG. 3B.

Since fastener 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1A to C and 2A to C is useful, forexample, as a self-mating fastener, a shortest distance X8 between oneof the posts 6 and one of the base portions 10 of the rail segments 4 inadjacent rows 14, 16 is wide enough to allow the insertion of the capportion 8 of the rail segments 4. Distance X8 may be substantially thesame as X4, as described above in any of the embodiment for X4. In someembodiments, distance X8 is within about 20, 15, or 10 percent of thecap width X4. In some embodiments, a ratio of the distance X8 to thewidth X1 of the base portion 10 is in a range from 2:1 to 5:1 or from2:1 to 4:1, or the ratio may be about 3:1. Distances X3 and X5 betweenone of the post 6 and one of the cap portions 8 of the rail segments 4in adjacent rows 14, 16 is generally smaller than distance X8 since thecap width X4 is wider than the width of the base portion X1. Some usefuldistances X3 and X5 are in a range from 0.08 mm to 0.8 mm, 0.1 mm to 0.5mm, 0.2 mm to 0.4 mm, or 0.2 mm to 0.35 mm. Distances X3 and X5 betweena post 6 and two adjacent rows of the caps portions 8 of rail segments 4need not be equal.

In some embodiments, when the first and second fastener members arefastened, they can slide relative to each other in a direction parallelto the length of the backing. This may be advantageous, for example, ifthe positioning of the first and second fastener members relative toeach is not desirable when the first and second fastener members areinitially fastened. To achieve a desirable positioning the first andsecond fastener members can be slid into place.

The first and second fastener members of a fastening system according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure may or may not be connectedtogether. In some embodiments, the first and second fastener members maybe connected to two discrete substrates. In some embodiments, the firstand second fastener members may be part of the same strip of material inwhich the first fastener member is folded over to contact the secondfastener member.

In the fastener according to the present disclosure, the rail segments,posts, and at least a portion of the backing are integral (that is,generally formed at the same time as a unit, unitary). Fasteningelements such as rail segments and upstanding posts on a backing can bemade, for example, by feeding a thermoplastic material onto acontinuously moving mold surface with cavities having the inverse shapeof the fastening elements. The thermoplastic material can be passedbetween a nip formed by two rolls or a nip between a die face and rollsurface, with at least one of the rolls having the cavities. Pressureprovided by the nip forces the resin into the cavities. In someembodiments, a vacuum can be used to evacuate the cavities for easierfilling of the cavities. The nip has a large enough gap such that acoherent backing is formed over the cavities. The backing may be formedwith no holes therethrough. The mold surface and cavities can optionallybe air or water cooled before stripping the integrally formed backingand fastening elements from the mold surface such as by a stripper roll.

Suitable mold surfaces for forming fastening elements on a backinginclude tool rolls such as those formed from a series of plates defininga plurality of cavities about its periphery including those described,for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,310 (Fischer). Cavities may beformed in the plates by drilling or photoresist technology, for example.Other suitable tool rolls may include wire-wrapped rolls, which aredisclosed along with their method of manufacturing, for example, in U.S.Pat. No. 6,190,594 (Gorman et al.). Another example of a method forforming a backing with upstanding fastening elements includes using aflexible mold belt defining an array of fastening element-shapedcavities as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,214,334 (Jens et al.). Yetother useful methods for forming a backing with upstanding fasteningelements can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,665 (Hammer), U.S. Pat. No.7,198,743 (Tuma), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,627,133 (Tuma).

If rail segments formed upon exiting the cavities do not have caps,first and second fastener members will not have any closure affinity foreach other. Caps can be subsequently formed on the rail segments by acapping method as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,870 (Melbye et al.).Typically, the capping method includes deforming the tip portions of therail segments using heat and/or pressure. The heat and pressure, if bothare used, could be applied sequentially or simultaneously. The formationof rail segments can also include a step in which the shape of the capis changed, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,660(Kampfer) and/or U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,800 (Levitt). For example, one ormore of these processes can be useful for changing the shape of the capportion 8 shown in FIG. 1A to the shape shown in FIG. 2A. The formationof rail segments can also include a step in which the cap is embossed,for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,106 (Kampfer). Afterone or more of these capping processes, first and second fastenermembers in a fastening system of the present disclosure can be closedtogether. The amount of force necessary to close and to peel open thefirst and second fastener members can be adjusted as desired bytailoring the capping process.

Another useful method for fastening elements on a backing is profileextrusion described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,894,060(Nestegard). Typically, in this method a thermoplastic flow stream ispassed through a patterned die lip (e.g., cut by electron dischargemachining) to form a web having downweb ridges, slicing the ridges, andstretching the web to form separated fastening elements. The ridges maybe considered precursors to the fastening elements and exhibit thecross-sectional shape of the rail segments and posts to be formed. Theridges are transversely sliced at spaced locations along the extensionof the ridges to form discrete portions of the ridges having lengths inthe direction of the ridges essentially corresponding to the length ofthe fastening elements to be formed. Stretching the backing so that itplastically deforms results in the separation of the fastening elements.

The fastener of the present disclosure may be made from a variety ofsuitable materials, including thermoplastics. Examples of thermoplasticmaterials suitable for making the fastener using the methods describedabove include polyolefin homopolymers such as polyethylene andpolypropylene, copolymers of ethylene, propylene and/or butylene;copolymers containing ethylene such as ethylene vinyl acetate andethylene acrylic acid; polyesters such as poly(ethylene terephthalate),polyethylene butyrate, and polyethylene napthalate; polyamides such aspoly(hexamethylene adipamide); polyurethanes; polycarbonates; poly(vinylalcohol); ketones such as polyetheretherketone; polyphenylene sulfide;and mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the thermoplastic useful formaking the fastener comprises at least one of a polyolefin, a polyamide,or a polyester. In some embodiments, the thermoplastic useful for makingthe fastener is a polyolefin (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene,polybutylene, ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers, butylenecopolymers, and copolymers and blends of these materials). In someembodiments, the fastener of the present disclosure is made from a blendof any of these thermoplastic materials and an elastomer. Examples ofelastomers useful in such tie layers include elastomers such as ABAblock copolymers (e.g., in which the A blocks are polystyrenic andformed predominantly of substituted (e.g., alkylated) or unsubstitutedmoieties and the B blocks are formed predominately from conjugateddienes (e.g., isoprene and 1,3-butadiene), which may be hydrogenated),polyurethane elastomers, polyolefin elastomers (e.g., metallocenepolyolefin elastomers), olefin block copolymers, polyamide elastomers,ethylene vinyl acetate elastomers, and polyester elastomers. Examples ofuseful polyolefin elastomers include an ethylene propylene elastomer, anethylene octene elastomer, an ethylene propylene diene elastomer, anethylene propylene octene elastomer, polybutadiene, a butadienecopolymer, polybutene, or a combination thereof. Elastomers areavailable from a variety of commercial sources as described below. Anyof these elastomers may be present in a blend with any of thethermoplastics in an amount of up to 20, 15, or 10 percent by weight.

The backing of the fastener of the present disclosure may have a varietyof thicknesses. In some embodiments, including the embodimentsillustrated in FIGS. 1A to 1C and FIGS. 2A to 2C, the thickness (Z4-Z5)of the backing 2 integral with the rail segments 4 and posts 6 may be upto about 300 micrometers (μm), 250 micrometers, or 200 micrometers andat least about 50 micrometers or 75 micrometers. This thickness does notinclude the heights of the rail segments and posts protruding from thefirst major surface of the backing. In some embodiments, the thicknessof the thermoplastic backing is in a range from 50 to about 300micrometers, from about 50 to about 200 micrometers, or from about 50 toabout 150 micrometers.

In some embodiments, including the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1Ato 1C and FIGS. 2A to 2C, the rows of rail segments 14 and rows of posts16 are each independently formed on fillets 12. Referring to FIG. 1B,the fillet thickness Z6 above the backing 2 may be up to about 100micrometers (μm), 75 micrometers, or 50 micrometers and at least about10 micrometers or 15 micrometers. This thickness does not include theheights of the rail segments and posts protruding from the first majorsurface of the backing. In some embodiments, the fillet thickness Z6 isin a range from 10 to about 100 micrometers, from about 15 to about 75micrometers, or from about 20 to about 50 micrometers. In someembodiments, the backing, excluding the rail segments, posts, andfillets, is substantially uniform in thickness. For a thermoplastic thatis substantially uniform in thickness, a difference in thickness betweenany two points in the backing may be up 5, 2.5, or 1 percent.

Rail segments on the first surface of the backing may have a density ofat least 10 per square centimeter (cm²) (63 per square inch in²). Forexample, the density of the rail segments may be at least 100/cm²(635/in²), 248/cm² (1600/in²), 394/cm² (2500/in²), or 550/cm²(3500/in²). In some embodiments, the density of the rail segments may beup to 1575/cm² (10000/in²), up to about 1182/cm² (7500/in²), or up toabout 787/cm² (5000/in²). Densities in a range from 10/cm² (63/in²) to1575/cm² (10000/in²) or 100/cm² (635/in²) to 1182/cm² (7500/in²) may beuseful, for example. The density of the rail segments is related to thedistance between rail segments X7, measured as the center-to-centerdistance of the rail segments in adjacent rows as shown in FIG. 1B. Avariety of distances X7 between rows of rail segments can be useful. Insome embodiments, the distance X7 between rows of rail segments is 0.25mm to 2.5 mm, 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, or 0.6 mm to 1.2 mm. The spacing of therows of rail segments and the posts need not be uniform, for example, asshown in FIGS. 8 to 10.

In some embodiments, the backing can be monoaxially or biaxiallystretched. Stretching in the machine direction can be carried out on acontinuous web of the backing, for example, by directing the web overrolls of increasing speed. Stretching in a cross-machine direction canbe carried out on a continuous web using, for example, diverging railsor diverging disks. A versatile stretching method that allows formonoaxial and sequential biaxial stretching of the thermoplastic layeremploys a flat film tenter apparatus. Such an apparatus grasps thethermoplastic layer using a plurality of clips, grippers, or other filmedge-grasping means along opposing edges of the thermoplastic web insuch a way that monoaxial and biaxial stretching in the desireddirection is obtained by propelling the grasping means at varying speedsalong divergent rails. Increasing clip speed in the machine directiongenerally results in machine-direction stretching. Stretching at anglesto the machine direction and cross-direction are also possible with aflat film tenter apparatus. Monoaxial and biaxial stretching can also beaccomplished, for example, by the methods and apparatus disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 7,897,078 (Petersen et al.) and the references citedtherein. Flat film tenter stretching apparatuses are commerciallyavailable, for example, from Brückner Maschinenbau GmbH, Siegsdorf,Germany.

In some embodiments, after stretching, the backing has an averagethickness of up to 150 μm, 125 μm, 100 μm, 80 μm, or 75 μm. In someembodiments, the average thickness of the backing after stretching is ina range from 30 μm to 150 μm, 50 μm to 150 μm, or 50 μm to 125 μm. Ingeneral, the backing has no through-holes before or after stretching. Insome embodiments, the density of the rail segments and/or posts afterstretching may be up to about 1182/cm² (7500/in²) or up to about 787/cm²(5000/in²). Densities after stretching in a range from 2/cm² (13/int) to1182/cm² (7500/in²), 124/cm² (800/in²) to 787/cm² (5000/in²), 248/cm²(1600/in²) to 550/cm² (3500/in²), or 248/cm² (1600/in²) to 394/cm²(2500/in²) may be useful, for example. Again, the spacing of the spacingof the rows of rail segments and the posts need not be uniform.

In some embodiments, the backing includes a multi-layer construction.The multi-layer construction can include from 2 to 10, 2 to 5, or 2 to 3layers. The multiple layers can include films, adhesives, and tielayers. The multiple layers can be joined together using a variety ofmethods including coating, adhesive bonding, and extrusion lamination.In some embodiments, the backing having the protruding rail segments andposts can be made (e.g., using any of the methods described above) froma multilayer melt stream of thermoplastic materials. This can result inthe protruding rail segments and posts formed at least partially from adifferent thermoplastic material than the one predominately forming thebacking. Various configurations of upstanding posts made from amultilayer melt stream are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,922 (Cejka etal.), for example. In some embodiments, the thickness of the backing(including a multi-layer backing) combined with the height of the railsegments is up to 3300, 2000, 1000, 900, 800, 700, 650, 600, 500, 540,or 400 micrometers. In some embodiments, the thickness of the fasteningsystem according to the present disclosure, in which the first andsecond fastener members are engaged with each other is up to 3300, 2000,1000, 900, 800, 750, or 700 micrometers.

The bending stiffness of the fastener (e.g., at an axis parallel to thewidth of the fastener) is influenced by the modulus of the material ormaterials making up the backing, the thickness of the layer or layersmaking up the backing, the distance between the structures (includingrail segments and posts) on the backing, and the dimension of thefastener in a parallel to the bending axis. In general, materials,thicknesses of the layer or layers in the fastener, and distancesbetween structures can be selected to provide the fastener with adesirable bending stiffness. Advantageously, in many embodiments of thefastener of the present disclosure, the bending stiffness of thefastener is low enough such that the fastener does not unintentionallyopen when the fastener is bent. In some of these embodiments, thebending stiffness of the fastener in a closed configuration is in arange from 100 mN/mm to 1500 mN/mm, 200 mN/mm to 1200 mN/mm, or 300mN/mm to 1000 mN/mm as measured by a Flexural Stiffness Test Method, forexample, as described in the Examples, below.

In some embodiments, the fastener of the present disclosure and/or thebacking of the fastener includes a tie layer. Tie layers can includeelastomeric materials or other materials that have lower melting pointsthan the backing integral with the rail segments and posts. Examples ofelastomers useful in such tie layers include elastomers such as ABAblock copolymers (e.g., in which the A blocks are polystyrenic andformed predominantly of substituted (e.g., alkylated) or unsubstitutedmoieties and the B blocks are formed predominately from conjugateddienes (e.g., isoprene and 1,3-butadiene), which may be hydrogenated),polyurethane elastomers, polyolefin elastomers (e.g., metallocenepolyolefin elastomers), olefin block copolymers, polyamide elastomers,ethylene vinyl acetate elastomers, and polyester elastomers. Examples ofuseful polyolefin elastomers include an ethylene propylene elastomer, anethylene octene elastomer, an ethylene propylene diene elastomer, anethylene propylene octene elastomer, polybutadiene, a butadienecopolymer, polybutene, or a combination thereof. Various elastomericpolymers and other polymers may be blended to have varying degrees ofelastomeric properties. For example, any of these elastomeric materialsmay be present in a range from 50% by weight to 95% by weight in a blendwith any of the thermoplastics described above for forming the backingintegral with the rail segments and posts.

Many types of elastomers are commercially available, including thosefrom BASF, Florham Park, N.J., under the trade designation “STYROFLEX”,from Kraton Polymers, Houston, Tex., under the trade designation“KRATON”, from Dow Chemical, Midland, Mich., under the trade designation“PELLETHANE”, “INFUSE”, VERSIFY″, “NORDEL”, and “ENGAGE”, from DSM,Heerlen, Netherlands, under the trade designation “ARNITEL”, from E. I.duPont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del., under the tradedesignation “HYTREL”, from ExxonMobil, Irving, Tex. under the tradedesignation “VISTAMAXX”, and more.

In some embodiments, the fastener of the present disclosure and/or thebacking of the fastener includes a layer of a hot melt adhesive. Hotmelt adhesives are typically non-tacky at room temperature, and use ofhot melts can decrease contamination on equipment during the handling ofthe film and lamination. Suitable hot melt adhesives include those basedon ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene-acrylate copolymers,polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, polyurethanes, styrene blockcopolymers, polycaprolactone, and polycarbonates and may include avariety of tackifying resins, plasticizers, pigments, fillers, andstabilizers. Examples of suitable hot melt adhesives include thoseavailable from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn., under the trade designation“3M SCOTCH-WELD” hot melt adhesives (e.g., products 3731 B and 3764 PG).

In some embodiments, the tie layer or hot melt adhesive will bethermally activated in a temperature range of 90° C. to 125° C.depending on time and pressure and can be useful for making a securebond to a substrate, such as a film used in a reclosable package.Referring again to FIG. 1B, the tie layer or hot melt adhesive layer 3can have any useful thickness Z5. In some embodiments, the tie layer orhot melt adhesive layer 3 has a thickness Z5 of up to 0.1 mm, 0.075 mm,0.05 mm, or 0.025 mm. Typically, the tie layer or hot melt adhesivelayer 3 has a thickness of at least 0.005 mm or 0.01 mm. Usefulthicknesses Z5 include those in a range from 0.005 mm to 0.1 mm, 0.005mm to 0.05 mm, and 0.01 mm to 0.025 mm.

The fastener of the present disclosure can be useful for joining twoarticles together for a variety of purposes. For example, the fastenerof the present disclosure can be useful as a self-mating fastener for areclosable package. The self-mating fastener can be connected to apackage or pouch. The self-mating fastener can include an openconfiguration and a closed configuration. When in the openconfiguration, the self-mating fastener is adapted to allow access to aninterior volume of the pouch through an opening disposed in the pouchafter a first opening of the pouch. Further, when in the closedconfiguration, the self-mating fastener is adapted to prevent access tothe interior volume of the pouch through the opening.

FIGS. 5-10 are various views of one embodiment of a reclosable package100. The reclosable package 100 includes a pouch 120 that defines aninterior volume 122 and an opening 124 that provides access to theinterior volume. The pouch 120 also includes an upper seal region 140disposed adjacent the opening 124 that is adapted to be broken to allowa first opening of the pouch. The reclosable package 100 also includes aself-mating fastener 150 connected to the pouch 120. The self-matingfastener 150 can include any suitable fastener, e.g., fastener 1 ofFIGS. 1A-C and 2A-C. The self-mating fastener 150 includes an openconfiguration (as shown in FIG. 7) and a closed configuration (as shownin FIGS. 5-6). When in the open configuration, the self-mating fastener150 is adapted to allow access to the interior volume 122 of the pouch120 through the opening 124 after the seal region 140 has been broken.Further, when in the closed configuration, the self-mating fastener 150is adapted to prevent access to the interior volume 122 of the pouch 120through the opening 124.

As used herein, the term “allow access” means that a user of thereclosable package 100 can reach into the interior volume 122 of thepouch 120 through the opening 124 and grasp at least a portion ofconsumer goods disposed within the interior volume. Further, as usedherein, the term “prevent access” means that the user of the reclosablepackage cannot reach into the interior volume 122 of the pouch 120through the opening 124 to grasp at least a portion of the consumergoods disposed within the interior volume without first manipulating theself-mating fastener 150.

The pouch 120 can include any suitable bag or package that defines theinterior volume 122. Further, the pouch 120 can be adapted to containany suitable items. In one or more embodiments, the pouch 120 can beadapted to contain any suitable consumer goods, e.g., foodstuffs such ascrackers, potato chips, and cheese, bulk granular or powdered products,animal feed, lawn and garden products, etc.

The pouch 120 can be formed using any suitable technique or techniques.In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 5-10, the pouch 120 is formedfrom a single piece of material or film that is connected along a rearseal region 138 that extends in a vertical direction that issubstantially parallel to first and second side edges 134, 136 of thepouch as shown in FIG. 6. Further, the pouch 120 includes the upper sealregion 140 and a lower seal region 142. The rear, upper, and lower sealregions 138, 140, 142 can be formed using any suitable technique ortechniques, e.g., ultrasonic welding, adhering (e.g., using a hot meltadhesive as described herein), heat sealing, and combinations thereof.In one or more embodiments, the seal regions 138, 140, 142 can be formedusing the same technique or techniques. In one or more embodiments, oneor more of the seal regions 138, 140, 142 can be formed using atechnique that is different from the technique utilized to form theother seal regions.

The pouch 120 can have any suitable dimensions and take any suitableshape or combination of shapes. Further, the pouch 120 includes a frontpanel 130 and a back panel 132. The front panel 130 and the back panel132 can meet at the first and second side edges 134, 136. In one or moreembodiments, the front panel 130 and the back panel 132 are integralsuch that the pouch 120 does not include seams or seal regions adjacentone or both of the first and second side edges 134, 136. As used herein,the term “adjacent the side edge” means that an element or component ofthe package 100 is disposed closer to one of the first and second sideedges 134, 136 than to the rear seal region 138. In one or moreembodiments, the front and back panels 130, 132 can be connected to eachother at side edges 134, 136 using any suitable technique or techniques.For example, in one or more embodiments, the front panel 130 and theback panel 132 can be made separately and then joined together at thefirst and second side edges 134, 136 by connecting the front panel tothe back panel.

The pouch 120 can include the opening 124 (FIG. 7) that provides accessto the interior volume 122. The opening 124 can be disposed in anysuitable location on the pouch 120. As shown in FIG. 7, the opening 124is disposed adjacent a top edge 126 of the pouch 120. As used herein,the term “adjacent the top edge” means that an element or component ofthe package 100 is disposed closer to the top edge 126 of the pouch 120than to a bottom edge 128 of the pouch. The opening 124 can take anysuitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. In one or moreembodiments, the opening extends between first and second side edges134, 136 of the pouch. In one or more embodiments, one or more sealregions may be disposed between edges of the opening 124 and the firstand second side edges 134, 136 of the pouch 120 such the opening doesnot extend to one or both of the first and second side edges of thepouch. In one or more embodiments, the opening 124 of the pouch 120 canbe defined by the top edge 126 of the pouch.

In one or more embodiments, the pouch 120 can include a seal regiondisposed adjacent the opening 124 that is adapted to be broken to allowa first opening of the pouch such that the user can access consumergoods disposed within the interior volume 122. As used herein, the term“first opening” refers to the first time that the reclosable package isopened by the user following manufacturing and filling of the package.In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 5-10, such seal region includesthe upper seal region 140. The upper seal region 140 seals the pouch 120prior to the first opening of the pouch to preserve the consumer goodsdisposed within the interior volume 122. To access such consumer goods,the user can break the upper seal region 140 using any suitabletechnique or techniques, e.g., pulling apart, tearing, cutting, etc.

The pouch 120 can be made using any suitable material or materials,e.g., one or more inorganic, polymeric, and metallic materials. In oneor more embodiments, the pouch 120 can include one or more polymericmaterials such as a polyolefin (e.g., oriented polypropylene OPP, lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE), and linear low polyethylene (LLDPE)), apolyester (e.g., poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)), a polyacrylate,and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH). Films of these materials areavailable as single-layer films, for example, and as multiple layerfilms including functional tie layers. Multiple layer films can be madeby coextrusion or stepwise extrusion. The functional tie layer can bemade of any of the polymeric materials described for the pouch blendedwith 5% by weight to 50% by weight of a functional polymer. The multiplelayer film is usually configured with the tie layer on the inside of thepouch 120 and can allow for adhesive bonding and hermetic sealing of thepouch. Many functional polymers useful as tie layer resins arecommercially available, for example, from Dow Chemical Company under thetrade designation “AMPLIFY”. In one or more embodiments, the pouch 120can include a flexible material. Tie layers on the pouch may alsoinclude any of the elastomeric materials described above in connectionwith the tie layer on the fastener.

The pouch 120 can include any suitable graphic or graphics (not shown)disposed on one or both of the front and back panels 130, 132 using anysuitable technique or techniques, e.g., ink jet printing, laminating,digital printing, flexographic printing, screen printing, ink transfer,and combinations of these. In one or more embodiments, the graphic (notshown) can be disposed on the front panel of the pouch, where a portionof the graphic is disposed over the self-mating fastener 150 when thefastener is in the closed configuration.

Connected to the pouch 120 is the self-mating fastener 150 of thepresent disclosure as described above in any of its embodiments. Theself-mating fastener 150 can be connected to the pouch 120 in anysuitable location. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5-10, theself-mating fastener 150 is connected to the pouch 120 adjacent the topedge 126 of the pouch. In one or more embodiments, the self-matingfastener 150 is disposed at the top edge 126 of the pouch 120. Further,in one or more embodiments, the self-mating fastener 150 can be disposedadjacent a center region 146 of the pouch 120. As used herein, the term“adjacent the center region” means that the self-mating fastener 150 isdisposed closer to the center region 146 of the pouch 120 than to thetop edge 126 or the bottom edge 128 of the pouch.

Further, the self-mating fastener 150 of the present disclosure can bedisposed in any suitable location relative to the opening 124 of thepouch 120 such that the fastener when in the open configuration canallow access to the interior volume 122 of the pouch through theopening, after the upper seal region 140 has been broken and that whenin the closed configuration the fastener is adapted to prevent access tothe interior volume of the pouch through the opening.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the self-mating fastener 150 isdisposed adjacent the opening 124. As used herein, the term “adjacentthe opening” means that the self-mating fastener 150 is disposed suchthat the fastener can manipulate the opening such that is sufficientlyopen to allow access to the consumer goods disposed within the pouch 120and sufficiently closed to prevent access to the consumer goods. In oneor more embodiments, the self-mating fastener 150 can be disposed withinthe opening 124. In one or more embodiments, the self-mating fastener150 can be disposed outside of the opening 124 along an edge of theopening such that the fastener can be manipulated between the open andclosed configurations to open and close the opening as is furtherdescribed herein.

The self-mating fastener 150 can have any suitable dimensions and takeany suitable shape or shapes. In one or more embodiments, theself-mating fastener 150 can be connected to the pouch 120 adjacent thetop edge 126 of the pouch and extend between the first and second sideedges 134, 136 of the pouch as shown in FIGS. 5-6. The self-matingfastener 150 can extend to one or both of the first and second sideedges 134, 136 of the pouch. In one or more embodiments, the self-matingfastener 150 can be adapted such that one or both of a first side edge156 and a second side edge 158 of the fastener is spaced apart from therespective first and second side edges 134, 136 of the pouch 120 anysuitable distance. In such embodiments, the pouch 120 may also includeone or more seal regions disposed between one or both of the first andsecond side edges 156, 158 of the self-mating fastener 150 and the firstand second side edges 134, 136 of the pouch 120 such that the fasteneralong with the seal regions seal the pouch along a width of the pouch.

As shown in FIG. 8, which is a schematic cross-section view of a portionof the pouch 120 of FIGS. 5-7, the self-mating fastener 150 includes afirst fastener member 152 and a second fastener member 154. The firstfastener member 152 can be the same as the second fastener member 154 ordifferent from the second fastener member. Further, the first and secondfastener members 152, 154 can be connected to the pouch 120 in anysuitable location. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the firstfastener member 152 is disposed on an inner surface 131 of the frontpanel 130 and the second fastener member 154 is disposed on an innersurface 133 of the back panel 132. In one or more embodiments, the firstfastener member 152 can be disposed on the inner surface 131 of thefront panel 130 adjacent the top edge 126 of the pouch 120, and thesecond fastener member 154 can be disposed on the inner surface 133 ofthe back panel 132 adjacent the top edge of the pouch.

In one or more embodiments, the first fastener member 152 can overlapwith the second fastener member 154 in a direction orthogonal to thefront and back panels 130, 132 such that at least a portion of the firstfastener member can mate with the second fastener member. In one or moreembodiments, the first fastener member 152 is registered with the secondfastener member 154 in the direction orthogonal to the front and backpanels 130, 132 as shown, e.g., in FIG. 8.

The self-mating fastener 150 can be connected to the pouch 120 using anysuitable technique or techniques. In one or more embodiments, thefastener 150 is adhered to the pouch 120 using any suitable adhesive orcombination of adhesives, including any of the hot melt adhesivesdescribed herein. Further, in one or more embodiments, self-matingfastener 150 can be ultrasonically bonded to the pouch 120. In one ormore embodiments, the fastener 150 can be mechanically attached to thepouch 120 using any suitable technique or techniques. In one or moreembodiments, a tie layer as described herein in any of its embodimentsmay be disposed between one or both of the first and second fastenermembers 152, 154 and the front and back panels 130, 132 respectively.

When tie layers or hot melt adhesives are used to connect theself-mating fastener 150 of the present disclosure to the pouch 120,heating the adhesive or tie layer can be carried out usinghigh-temperature impingement fluid as described in U.S. Pat. No.9,096,960 (Biegler et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 9,126,224 (Biegler et al.),and U.S. Pat. No. 8,956,496 (Biegler et al.). In some embodiments, thehigh-temperature fluid is a high-temperature gas (e.g., air,dehumidified air, nitrogen, an inert gas, a mixture of any of these, oranother gas mixture). In some embodiments, the high-temperature fluid ishigh-temperature air. The high-temperature fluid can be directed towardthe tie layer or hot melt adhesive only, or the high-temperature fluidcan be directed toward both the tie layer or hot melt adhesive and thefilm useful for forming the pouch. In some embodiments, high-temperatureair is directed toward the tie layer or hot melt adhesive only before itis bonded to the pouch. In some embodiments, connecting the self-matingfastener 150 to the pouch 120 includes impinging high-temperature fluid,including any of those described above, onto a second surface of a webof the self-mating fastener while it is moving, wherein the secondsurface is the surface opposite the first surface bearing the railsegments and posts. In some of these embodiments, the second surface ofthe web includes a tie layer. In some embodiments, the second surface ofthe web includes a hot melt adhesive. Optionally, either sequentially orsimultaneously, connecting the self-mating fastener 150 to the pouch 120includes impinging high-temperature fluid, including any of thosedescribed above, onto a surface of a web of a film useful for formingthe pouch while the web of the film is moving. Connecting theself-mating fastener 150 to the film can then be carried out bycontacting the second surface of the web of the self-mating fastener tothe web of the film useful for forming the pouch. A heated bar may alsobe useful for connecting the self-mating fastener to the pouch. Theself-mating fastener, tie layer, and/or hot melt adhesive may becontacted with a heated bar one or multiple times to ensure a good bondto the packaging film. Typically, the heated bar is contacted to thenon-adhesive-containing side of the packaging film.

As mentioned herein, the self-mating fastener 150 has an openconfiguration and a closed configuration. For example, as shown in FIG.8, the self-mating fastener 150 is in the closed configuration such thatthe user is prevented from accessing the interior volume 122 of thepouch 120 through the opening 124 of the pouch. Further, as shown inFIG. 8, the upper seal region 140 is intact and has not yet been brokenupon a first opening of the pouch 120. As a result, the consumer goodsdisposed within the interior volume 122 of the pouch 120 can bepreserved by the seal region 140.

In general, the self-mating fastener 150 can be connected to the pouch120 such that the fastener is in this closed configuration when the bagis manufactured. In one or more embodiments, self-mating fastener 150can be connected to the pouch 120 during manufacturing such that it isin an open configuration. For example, FIG. 9 is a schematiccross-section view of a portion of the pouch 120 of FIGS. 5-7. As shownin FIG. 9, the self-mating fastener 150 is in the open configuration. Asused herein, the term “open configuration” means that one or moreportions of the self-mating fastener 150 has been separated such thatthe user may reach into the pouch 120 through the opening 124 and theself-mating fastener to grasp a portion of the consumer goods disposedwithin the interior volume 122 of the pouch.

As also shown in FIG. 9, the upper seal region 140 is still intact andhas not yet been broken upon the first opening of the pouch 120. Inembodiments where the self-mating fastener 150 is connected to the pouch120 such that it is in the open configuration prior to the first openingof the pouch 120, the user may grasp portions of the front and backpanels 130, 132 and manipulate the panels in a direction away from eachother. During this manipulation by the user, the upper seal region 140may remain intact while portions of the self-mating fastener 50 may beseparated such that it is in the open configuration as shown in FIG. 9.In one or more embodiments, manipulation by the user upon the firstopening of the pouch 120 may instead first separate the upper sealregion 140 such that the seal region is at least partially broken priorto manipulation of the self-mating fastener 150 from the closedconfiguration to the open configuration.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-section view of the pouch 120 of FIG. 5-7,where the upper seal region 140 has been broken upon the first openingof the pouch and the self-mating fastener 150 is in the openconfiguration. As shown in FIG. 10, the user may now access the interiorvolume 122 of the pouch 120 through the opening 124 and through theself-mating fastener 150. The user may then manipulate the self-matingclosure 150 from the open configuration to the closed configuration suchthat the user can no longer access the interior volume 122 of the pouch120.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-section view of an embodiment of theopening 124 of pouch 120 of FIG. 5-7, where the self-mating fastener 150is in the closed configuration. The self-mating fastener 150 includes afirst fastener member 152 and a second fastener member 154. In theillustrated embodiment, the first fastener member 152 and the secondfastener member 154 are part of the same strip of material, folded overonto itself. The self-mating fastener 150 is folded, for example, alongan axis parallel to the width (W) of the fastener, referring to FIG. 1A,so that a row of posts 106 is visible in the cross-section view. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, the first fastener member 152 isdisposed on an inner surface 131 of the front panel 130 and the secondfastener member 154 is disposed on an inner surface 133 of the backpanel 132 of the pouch. The first fastener member 152 is attached toinner surface 131 of the front panel 130 and the second fastener member154 is attached to inner surface 133 of the back panel 132 using tielayer 103. Advantageously, the thickness of the self-mating fastener 150in this folded configuration can be up to 1000, 900, 800, 700, 600, 500,450, or 400 micrometers. Such a thickness can allow the self-matingfastener 150 to be connected to the pouch 120 is in this foldedconfiguration when the bag is manufactured.

Any suitable technique or techniques may be utilized by the user tomanipulate the self-mating fastener 150 to the closed configuration. Forexample, the user may press the self-mating closure 150 together byplacing one hand on the front panel 130 and another hand on the backpanel 132 and pressing the first fastener member 152 against the secondfastener member 154. Further, for example, the user may place thepackage 100 on a flat surface such that either the first or secondpanels 130, 132 are in contact with the surface, and then press thefirst and second fastener members 152, 154 together.

When in the closed configuration as shown in FIG. 8, the self-matingfastener 150 may prevent consumer goods disposed within the interiorvolume 122 of the pouch 120 from falling or spilling out of the pouchthrough the opening 124. Further, in one or more embodiments, theself-mating fastener 150 may seal the pouch 120 in the closedconfiguration such that the consumer goods disposed within the interiorvolume 122 remain fresh.

Any suitable technique or techniques can be utilized to determinewhether the self-mating fastener 150 is in the closed configuration. Forexample, in one or more embodiments, the self-mating faster 150 isconsidered to be in the closed configuration when a force to open theself-mating fastener is at least about 0.1 Newtons and no greater than1.0 Newtons as determined from the mean maximum load from the T-PeelTest Method described in the Examples. In some embodiments, the force toopen the self-mating fastener is in a range 0.2 N to 0.9 N or 0.3 N to0.8 N as determined from the mean maximum load from the T-Peel TestMethod described in the Examples.

Further, in one or more embodiments, the force required to achieve aclosed configuration from an open configuration, as previously defined,is no more than 3.0 Newtons (N) but at least 0.3 N as determinedutilizing the Force to Close Test Method described in the Examples. Inone or more embodiments, the force required to achieve a closedconfiguration from an open configuration is no more than 0.3 N/mm but atleast 0.03 N/mm as determined utilizing the Force to Close Test Method.In some embodiments, the force required to achieve a closedconfiguration from an open configuration is in a range from 0.45 N to2.7 N or 0.6 N to 2.4 N as determined utilizing the Force to Close TestMethod. In some embodiments, transition from an open configuration to aclosed configuration is readily achieved with finger pressure.

The self-mating fastener 150 and the material utilized for the pouch 120can be selected to provide any desirable stiffness in resistance tobending about a pouch axis 102 that is perpendicular to a length 104 ofthe self-mating fastener as shown in FIG. 5. Any suitable technique ortechniques can be utilized to determine the stiffness in resistance tobending of the pouch 120 and the self-mating fastener 150. Theself-mating fastener 150 can have a flexural rigidity of at least about100 mN/mm and up to about 1500 mN/mm as determined utilizing theFlexural Stiffness Test Method described in the Examples. In someembodiments, the bending stiffness of the fastener is in a range from100 mN/mm to 1500 mN/mm, 200 mN/mm to 1200 mN/mm, or 300 mN/mm to 1000mN/mm as measured by the Flexural Stiffness Test Method. With a bendingstiffness in these ranges, typically and advantageously, the fastenerdoes not unintentionally open when the fastener is bent.

The various embodiments of a reclosable package described herein caninclude any suitable configuration of pouch. For example, FIGS. 12-13are various views of another embodiment of a reclosable package 200. Allof the design considerations and possibilities regarding the package 100of FIGS. 5-11 apply equally to the package 200 of FIGS. 12-13. Thereclosable package 200 includes a pouch 220 that defines an interiorvolume 222 and an opening 224 that provides access to the interiorvolume. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 12-13, the opening isdisposed adjacent a top edge 226 of the pouch 220. The pouch 220 alsoincludes an upper seal region 240 disposed adjacent the opening 224 thatis adapted to be broken to allow a first opening of the pouch.

The pouch 220 further includes a front panel 230 and a back panel 232.The pouch 220 can be formed utilizing a single film that can be sealedalong a first side seal region 234 and a second side seal region 236. Inone or more embodiments, the pouch 220 also includes the upper sealregion 240. Further, an opening 241 can be disposed adjacent the upperseal region 240 such that the pouch 220 can be hung on a display rack.

The package 200 also includes a self-mating fastener 250 according tothe present disclosure connected to the pouch 220. The self-matingfastener 250 can be connected to the pouch 220 in any suitable location.In one or more embodiments, the self-mating fastener 250 is disposedadjacent the opening 224 of the pouch 220.

The pouch 220 can also include a bottom gusset 270 disposed adjacent abottom edge 228 of the pouch. The bottom gusset 270 can be foldedinwardly from the bottom edge 228 of the pouch. The bottom gusset 270can be formed utilizing any suitable technique or techniques.

Further, FIGS. 14-15 are various views of another embodiment of areclosable package 300. All of the design considerations andpossibilities regarding the reclosable package 100 of FIGS. 5-11 applyequally to the package 300 of FIGS. 14-15. The reclosable package 300includes a pouch 320 having a front panel 330 and a rear panel 332 thatcan be joined together at a first side seal region 334 and a second sideseal region 336. The front and back panels 330,332 can also be joinedtogether at an upper seal region 340 adjacent a top edge 326 of thepouch. An opening 341 can be disposed adjacent the top edge 326 suchthat the package 300 can be hung on a display rack. The reclosablepackage 300 also includes a self-mating fastener 350 of the presentdisclosure.

The front panel 330 includes a perforated opening 324 that is adapted toallow a user to separate the perforation and access consumer goodsdisposed within an inner volume 322 of the pouch 320. In one or moreembodiments, the pouch 320 can also include a tear strip (not shown)disposed over the self-mating fastener 350 that is adapted to allow theuser to remove the strip and access the interior volume 322 of thepouch.

The self-mating fastener 350 can be disposed adjacent opening 324 on anouter surface 331 of the front panel 330. In one or more embodiments,portions of the self-mating fastener 350 can extend over the opening.For example, a first fastener member 352 of the self-mating fastener 350can cover the opening 324 while a second fastener member 354 of thefastener includes a first portion disposed on a portion of the outersurface 331 of the front panel 330 above the opening when the pouch 320is positioned in a vertical orientation (i.e., a pouch axis that extendsparallel to the first and second side seal regions 334,336 issubstantially parallel to a normal to the Earth's surface), and a secondportion of the second fastener member is disposed below the opening. Arecess 302 can be formed in the self-mating fastener 350 to allow a userto grasp the first fastener member 352 and pull the first fastenermember in a direction away from the second fastener member 354 tomanipulate the self-mating fastener from a closed configuration to anopen configuration.

The various embodiments of reclosable packages described herein can bemanufactured using any suitable technique or techniques. For example,FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of anapparatus 400 and method for forming the reclosable package 100 of FIGS.5-11. Although described in reference to reclosable package 100 of FIGS.5-11, the apparatus 400 can be utilized to form any suitable reclosablepackage. A film 402 is provided either in roll or sheet form andconveyed to station 410, where closure material 408 is connected to thefilm using any suitable technique or techniques. The film can include atop edge 404 and a bottom edge 406. The closure material 408 can bedisposed in any suitable location on the film 402, e.g., adjacent thetop edge 404.

The closure material 408 can include any suitable closure material. Inone or more embodiments, the closure material 408 includes the firstfastener member 152 mated with the second fastener member 154. In one ormore embodiments, the closure material 408 can include either the firstfastener member 152 or the second fastener member 154. In one or moreembodiments, the same closure material can be utilized to form both thefirst fastener member 152 and the second fastener member 154. In suchembodiments, the first fastener member 152 can be disposed on a firstregion of the film 402, and the second fastener member 154 can bedisposed on a second region of the film such the first and secondfastener members 152, 154 are aligned when the pouch 120 is formed fromthe film.

At station 411, the film 402 can be slit or cut to form severalindividual sheets that are utilized to form individual pouches 120.Further, the lower seal region 142 can be formed at the bottom edge 128of the pouch 120 at station 411 prior to disposal of consumer goods 416within the interior volume 122 of the pouch at station 412. After thepouch 120 is filled, the upper seal region 140 can be formed at the topedge 126 of the pouch at station 418 such that the consumer goods 416are sealed within the package 100. Any suitable technique or techniquescan be utilized to form the upper and lower seal regions 140, 142.

While reclosable packages with fasteners have been reported, thefasteners can be stiff and bulky, making these packages difficult tomanufacture and fill with consumer goods. Furthermore, fasteners thanutilize hooks and loops can collect particles from the stored consumergoods or the environment outside of the package that contaminate thefastener. Such contamination can prevent the fastener from beingcompletely closed, thereby allowing portions of the consumer goods tospill out of the package or prevent the package from preserving thefreshness of the consumer goods.

In addition to the advantages of the fastener of the present discoursedescribed above, various embodiments of the fastener of the presentdisclosure can provide one or more advantages over other fastenerscurrently-available for reclosable packages. For example, one or moreembodiments of the fastener can have a reduced thickness compared tocurrently-available fasteners such that the fastener can be connected toa packaging film used to form the package without compromising rollstability while also minimizing roll loss. As described above, in someembodiments, the thickness of the fastening system according to thepresent disclosure, in which the first and second fastener members areengaged with each other is up to 1000, 900, 800, 700, 600, 500, 450, or400 micrometers. Also, as described above, in some embodiments, thefastener includes a tie layer or hot melt adhesive that can be thermallyactivated at relatively low temperature (e.g., 90 to 125° C.). In someembodiments, at least one of the thickness of the fastening system orthe low-temperature activation of the tie layer can provides aestheticadvantages when the fastener is attached to a package. For example, anygraphics on the package may have little or no distortion in the locationof the fastener. Further, the fastener of the present disclosure can bemore flexible than currently-available fasteners such that the fastenerdoes not unintentionally open if the fastener is bent, therebypreventing consumer goods disposed within the pouch from spilling out ofthe pouch. Further, one or more embodiments of the fastener of thepresent disclosure can be more contamination-resistant by preventingfood debris such as small particles and salt from contaminating thefastener.

Some Embodiments of the Disclosure

In a first embodiment, the present disclosure provides a fastenercomprising:

a backing having a length, a width, and a thickness; and

rows of rail segments and rows of posts protruding perpendicularly fromthe backing, wherein the rows of rail segments and rows of postsalternate;

wherein each of the rail segments has a base portion attached to thebacking and a cap portion distal from the backing, wherein the capportion has a cap width that is greater than a width of the baseportion, wherein the cap portion overhangs the base portion on opposingsides, wherein the base portion has a length that is greater than thewidth of the base portion, and wherein each of the posts has a heightthat is no greater than a height of the rail segments and a length thatis different from the length of the rail segments.

In a second embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastener ofthe first embodiment, wherein a number of posts in one of the rows ofposts is more than a number of rail segments in one of the rows of railsegments.

In a third embodiment, the present disclosure provides a fastenercomprising:

a backing having a length, a width, and a thickness; and

rows of rail segments and rows of posts protruding perpendicularly fromthe backing, wherein the rows of rail segments and rows of postsalternate;

wherein each of the rail segments has a base portion attached to thebacking and a cap portion distal from the backing, wherein the capportion has a cap width that is greater than a width of the baseportion, wherein the cap portion overhangs the base portion on opposingsides, wherein a number of posts in one of the rows of posts is morethan a number of rail segments in one of the rows of rail segments, andwherein each of the posts has a height that is no greater than a heightof the rail segments and a length that is different from the length ofthe rail segments.

In a fourth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastener ofthe third embodiment, wherein the base portion has a length that isgreater than the width of the base portion.

In a fifth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastener ofany one of the first to fourth embodiments, wherein a ratio of thelength of the base portion to the width of the base portion is at least2:1.

In a sixth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastener ofany one of the first to fifth embodiments, wherein a ratio of the lengthof the base portion to the width of the base portion is at least 5:1.

In a seventh embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastener ofany one of the first to sixth embodiments, wherein a ratio of the lengthof the base portion to the width of the base portion is at least 10:1.

In an eighth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastener ofany one of the first to seventh embodiments, wherein the thickness ofthe backing combined with the height of the rail segments is up to 3300micrometers.

In a ninth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastener ofany one of the first to eighth embodiments, wherein the length of thebase portion of the rail segments is greater than a length of the posts.

In a tenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastener ofany one of the first to ninth embodiments, wherein the length of thebase portion of the rail segments is at least two times the length ofthe posts.

In an eleventh embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastenerof the tenth embodiment, wherein the length of the base portion of therail segments is at least three times the length of the posts.

In a twelfth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastener ofany one of the first to eleventh embodiments, wherein the number ofposts in one of the rows of posts is at least 1.5 times the number ofrail segments in one of the rows of rail segments.

In a thirteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastenerof any one of the first to twelfth embodiments, wherein the number ofposts in one of the rows of posts is at least twice the number of railsegments in one of the rows of rail segments.

In a fourteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastenerof any one of the first to thirteenth embodiments, wherein each of theposts has at least one of a height-to-width aspect ratio that is atleast 1.5:1 or a height-to-length aspect ratio that is at least 1.5:1.

In a fifteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastenerof the fourteenth embodiment, wherein each of the posts has at least oneof a height-to-width aspect ratio that is at least 2:1 or aheight-to-length aspect ratio that is at least 2:1.

In a sixteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastenerof any one of the first to fifteenth embodiments, wherein the posts havea lower bending stiffness than the rail segments.

In a seventeenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastener of any one of the first to sixteenth embodiments, wherein theheight of the posts is up to 95 percent of the height of the railsegments.

In an eighteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastener of any one of the first to seventeenth embodiments, wherein thepost has a base attached to the backing and a distal tip, wherein thedistal tip has a cross-sectional area that is less than or equal to across-sectional area of the base.

In a nineteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastenerof any one of the first to eighteenth embodiments, wherein the capportion overhangs the base portion on all sides.

In a twentieth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fastenerof any one of the first to nineteenth embodiment, wherein the capportion overhangs the base portion at amount of at least 25 micrometerson the opposing sides.

In a twenty-first embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastener of any one of the first to twentieth embodiments, wherein ashortest distance between one of the posts and one of the base portionsof the rail segments in adjacent rows is within 20 percent of the capwidth.

In a twenty-second embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastener of any one of the first to twenty-first embodiments, whereinthe fastener has at least three of the rows of rail segments alternatingwith at least three of the rows of posts.

In a twenty-third embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastener of any one of the first to twenty-second embodiments, whereinthe fastener has at least five of the rows of rail segments alternatingwith at least five of the rows of posts.

In a twenty-fourth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastener of any one of the first to twenty-third embodiments, whereinthe backing is formed without through-holes.

In a twenty-fifth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastener of any one of the first to twenty-fourth embodiments, furthercomprising a tie layer on a major surface of the backing opposite therows of rail segments and rows of posts.

In a twenty-sixth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastener of the twenty-fifth embodiment, wherein the tie layer comprisesa polyolefin elastomer.

In a twenty-seventh embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastener of any one of the first to twenty-sixth embodiments, attachedto an interior portion of a container.

In a twenty-eighth embodiment, the present disclosure provides afastening system comprising first and second fastener members, whereinat least one of the first or second fastener members comprises thefastener of any one of the first to twenty-seventh embodiments.

In a twenty-ninth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastening system of the twenty-eighth embodiment, wherein each of thefirst and second fastener members comprises the fastener of any one ofthe first to twenty-seventh embodiments.

In a thirtieth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the fasteningsystem of the twenty-eighth or twenty-ninth embodiments, wherein thefirst fastener member comprises the fastener of any one of the first totwenty-seventh embodiments, and wherein the second fastener memberscomprises a backing having a length, a width, and a thickness, with rowsof rail segments protruding from the backing, wherein each of the railssegments has a base portion attached to the backing and a cap portiondistal from the backing, wherein the cap portion has a cap width that isgreater than a width of the base portion, wherein the cap portionoverhangs the base portion on opposing sides.

In a thirty-first embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastening system of the thirtieth embodiment, wherein the base portionhas a length that is greater than the width of the base portion.

In a thirty-second embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastening system of any one of the twenty-eighth to thirty-firstembodiments, wherein when the first and second fastener members arefastened, they can slide relative to each other in a direction parallelto the length of the backing.

In order that this disclosure can be more fully understood, thefollowing examples are set forth. It should be understood that theseexamples are for illustrative purposes only, and are not to be construedas limiting this disclosure in any manner.

EXAMPLES T-Peel Test Method

The force to open values for a self-mating fastener can be determinedutilizing ASTM D1876 (designation D1876-08(2015)e1). In general, astandard T-Peel test as defined by ASTM D1876 is performed at anextension rate of 12-inches per minute (30.5 cm/minute) on arepresentative sample in both the machine and cross web directions andcan be utilized to determine whether the closure is in the open orclosed configuration. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the cross webdirection is parallel to the vertical seam 138 of the bag 100, and themachine direction is orthogonal to the vertical seam 138.

T-Peel was measured using strips that were 14 inches (35.6 cm) long inthe machine direction and having the widths described below. Each stripwas folded in half and self-mated to provide a specimen. A calibrated11.5-pound (5.22 kg) stainless steel roller was used to roll down thespecimen. The roller was applied for a full round trip back and forth oneach side of the specimen. The ends of the specimen were peeled open sothat one inch (2.54 cm) was separated on each end. The separatedportions were bent perpendicular to the specimen plane for clamping inthe grips of the Instron machine. A cross-head speed of 12-inches perminute (30.5 cm/minute) was used to peel open the specimen over adistance of 4.5 inches (11.4 cm). Three replicates were used perspecimen.

Force to Close Test Method

The force required to close a fastener was measured by pulling an openstrip of closure device through a set gap, at a rate of 12 in/minute(30.5 cm/minute). Either side of the gap was composed of a radial pieceof PTFE to minimize friction while maintaining said gap. Amulti-directional load cell is utilized to measure the force normal andtangential to the closure device. The average kinetic peel force isobtained by averaging the force 1 inch (2.54 cm) after closure beginsand 1 inch (2.54 cm) before closure ends. This measurement is repeatedfor a total of 3 measurements, which are then averaged.

Utilizing the Force to Close Test Method, the tactile response to afastener can be obtained by calculating the average amplitude betweenthe first 50 peaks and the first 50 troughs of the kinetic peel forcecurve.

Flexural Stiffness Test Method

ASTM D790 (2003) is utilized to measure the flexural rigidity of aspecimen. A universal testing machine is used with a 3-point bendfixture. The test specimens were closed, flattened, and placed in the3-point bend fixture. The gap between the bottom 2 points is set to 12mm and the force to displace the sample a set distance is measured. Theupper compression point diameter was 4 mm, and the support diameterswere 5 mm. The upper compression point is advanced at a linear rate of12 in/minute (30.5 cm/minute). Flexural stiffness is derived from thefirst primary slope of the force versus displacement curve before thefastening elements slip and begin to slide past one another resulting ina second primary slope

Example 1

A twin screw 40-mm extruder was used to extrude a food grade MDPE(medium density polyethylene) obtained from Dow Chemical USA, Inc.,under the trade designation Dowlex 2027G″. A 1.5-inch (3.8-cm) singlescrew extruder was used to extrude a combination of 70% by weight of the“VISTAMAXX 3980FL” Performance Polymer and 30% by weight of alow-density polyethylene obtained from The Dow Chemical Company,Midland, Mich., under the trade designation “DOW LDPE 722”. Both feedstreams were introduced to a die manifold on the top of a flat sheet diemanufactured by Cloeren Inc., Orange, Tex. Molten polymer was extrudednominally at 220° C. from the flat sheet die as a sheet into a rollingcast extrusion takeaway nip with a rubber roll and a tooling roll withthe layer including the 100% by weight food grade MDPE against thetooling roll and the layer including 70% by weight “VISTAMAXX 3980FL”Performance Polymer against the rubber roll. The rubber roll forced themolten polymer into the tooling roll having a nominal surfacetemperature of 50° C. to 75° C. The molten polymer solidified on theroll, and the structured film was removed from the molding roll after a180-degree wrap from the rubber roll nip point as described by U.S. Pat.No. 6,106,922 (Cejka). The tool roll had a combination of cavities forproviding rail segments and cavities for providing posts havingdifferent heights, with the cavities providing the rail segments beingdeeper than the cavities providing the posts.

The rail segments were capped using the method described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,868,987 (Kampfer) to produce caps having peaks and grooves. Theweb was slit into strips having a width of 13 mm. When tested by hand byfolding a strip onto itself, the fastener was easy to close and hadsufficient resistance to peel open. Dimensions of the fastener areprovided in Table 1, below.

Example 2

The web made in Example 1 was further subjected to the method describedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,660 (Kampfer) to deform the caps and turn aportion of the caps downward toward the backing. The resultingself-mating fastener had an appearance shown in FIG. 17, with dimensionslisted in Table 1, below. The image shown in FIG. 17 was obtained froman Analytical Scanning Electron Microscope, Model # JSM-6010LA. Part ofthe web was slit into strips having a width of 13 mm, and part of theweb was slit into strips having a width of 9 mm. When a 13-mm strip ofthe self-mating fastener was folded over onto itself as shown in FIG.2C, it had a thickness of less than 30 mil (762 micrometers). Whentested by hand, the fastener was easy to close and had resistance topeel open sufficient to hold contents in a bag without spilling.

The layer on the smooth side was thermally activated usinghigh-temperature impingement air at 200° C. as described in U.S. Pat.No. 9,126,224 (Biegler) and U.S. Pat. No. 8,956,496 (Biegler) and bondedto a 5-layer printed polyolefin packaging film without impacting thequality of the printing and with minimal to no visible film distortion.The high-temperature impingement air was directed to both the layer onthe smooth side of the fastener and to one side of the polyolefinpackaging film. The bond strength between the fastener and the packagingfilm was deemed adequate since cohesive failure in the layers of thepackaging film was observed when removal of the fastener was carried outby hand.

Fifteen 13-mm strips were sampled from different zones of the web. Thesespecimens were evaluated according to the T-Peel Test Method describedabove. The T-peel test was carried out in the machine direction (MD) ofthe specimens. For the 15 13-mm samples, the mean maximum load was 0.424N, with a standard deviation of 0.055 N, and the mean average load was0.302 N, with a standard deviation of 0.052 N.

Example 3

Example 3 was prepared as described in Example 1 with the modificationthat 100% food grade medium density polyethylene obtained from The DowChemical Company under the trade designation “DOWLEX 2027G MDPE” wassubstituted with a 90% polypropylene from Total under trade name 3571and 10% “VISTAMAXX 3980FL” Performance Polymer. A capping roll having asmooth surface was used to produce smooth caps instead of the capshaving peaks and grooves. The caps had an appearance such as that shownin FIG. 1A. The self-mating closure was also bonded to a printedpolyolefin packaging film as described in Example 2 with no damage orwrinkling of the oriented printed packaging film. The bond strengthbetween the fastener and the packaging film was deemed adequate as uponremoval of the bonded fastener from the packaging film, cohesive failurein the layers of the packaging film was observed.

Example 4

Before being bonded to the packaging film, the web made in Example 3 wasfurther subjected to the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,660(Kampfer) to deform the caps and turn a portion of the caps downwardtoward the backing. The resulting self-mating fastener had an appearanceshown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, with dimensions listed in Table 1, below. Partof the web was slit into strips having a width of 13 mm, and part of theweb was slit into strips having a width of 9 mm. When a 13-mm strip ofthe self-mating fastener was folded over onto itself as shown in FIG.2C, it had a thickness of less than 30 mil (762 micrometers).

Six 13-mm strips were sampled from three different zones of the web inthe cross-direction, one toward each edge and one toward the center ofthe web. Two strips were sampled from each zone. Similarly, eighteen9-mm strips were sampled from the three zones, six from each zone. Thesespecimens were each evaluated using the Force to Close Test Methoddescribed above. The maximum and minimum kinetic peel force to close at12 inches per minute from the set of specimens were 2.37 N and 0.6 N,respectively, with maximum and minimum average kinetic peak oscillationamplitude of 0.84 N and 0.39 N, respectively. When the data werenormalized against the two different widths, the maximum and minimumkinetic peel force to close at 12 inches per minute from the set ofspecimens were 2.1 N and 0.69 N, respectively, with maximum and minimumaverage kinetic peak oscillation amplitude of 0.93 N and 0.006 N,respectively.

Six 13-mm strips and eighteen 9-mm strips were sampled from the threedifferent zones of the web as described above. These specimens were eachevaluated using the Flexural Stiffness Test Method described above. Forthese specimens, the flexural rigidity ranged from 221.7 mN/mm to 1149.3mN/mm with an average of 601.0 mN/mm and a standard deviation of 221.7mN/mm. The reported flexural rigidity was the slope of the first leg ofthe force vs displacement curve from the 3 point bend before the railsegments begin to slide against one another. None of the specimens wasobserved to open during the 3 point bend.

Fifteen 13-mm strips were sampled from different zones of the web. Thesespecimens were evaluated according to the T-Peel Test Method describedabove. The T-peel test was carried out in the machine direction (MD) ofthe specimens. For the 15 13-mm samples, the mean maximum load was 0.511N, with a standard deviation of 0.072 N, and the mean average load was0.339 N, with a standard deviation of 0.056 N.

Sixteen 9-mm strips were sampled from different zones of the web. Thesespecimens were evaluated according to the T-Peel Test Method describedabove. The T-peel test was carried out in the machine direction (MD) ofthe specimens. For the 18 9-mm samples, the mean maximum load was 0.562N, with a standard deviation of 0.062 N, and the mean average load was0.351 N, with a standard deviation of 0.049 N.

TABLE 1 X1 X2 X3 X4 X5 X6 X7 Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 (μm) (μm) (μm) (μm) (μm) (μm)(μm) (μm) (μm) (μm) (μm) Ex. 1 Avg 139 134 297 392 247 121 1051 688 117139 511 Std 3.5 3.5 7.4 4.6 16.8 16.0 9.6 0.8 5.6 9.1 4.7 Ex. 2 Avg 134135 310 388 219 116 701 671 119 154 524 Std 1.5 3.4 24.6 11.4 8.0 25.0443.9 9.7 2.0 6.8 7.7 Ex 3 Avg 132 129 238 427 277 147 1064 686 115 173531 Std 3.2 5.2 23.1 23.4 29.4 20.6 5.7 11.0 11.2 9.9 5.0 Ex. 4 Avg 133135 292 351 322 113 1060 638 114 212 538 Std 2.3 3.4 13.4 21.1 33.7 16.211.9 14.9 7.2 12.6 3.0 Y5 A1 A2 Z1 Z2 Z3 Z4 Z5 Z6 Z1-Z2 Z1|Z4 (μm) (μm)(μm) (μm) (μm) (μm) (μm) (μm) (μm) (μm) (μm) Ex. 1 Avg 67 95 101 377 305346 113 20 22 71 490 Std 8.4 1.0 0.4 11.1 12.1 6.7 9.4 1.5 1.5 17.2 15.5Ex. 2 Avg 64 101 100 386 279 337 104 20 32 107 490 Std 4.0 2.4 1.7 11.818.7 19.9 5.2 2.0 2.9 27.1 9.5 Ex. 3 Avg 60 99 105 419 357 373 111 19 2862 530 Std 6.8 1.5 0.8 11.1 28.4 13.2 4.0 1.6 2.9 27.8 10.2 Ex. 4 Avg 4995 91 443 356 359 116 19 39 86 559 Std 6.0 1.3 2.0 15.0 19.4 10.6 4.74.3 10.6 24.7 17.4Dimensions refer to FIGS. 1B and 1C, Avg=Average, Std=StandardDeviation, Each average is of 5 measurements. Data was obtained with aKeyence Digital Microscope, Model VHX-600.

Example 5

To assess whether fastener member designs can be in the fastened andunfastened configurations one or more times without destroying thefunctionality of the fastener, a Finite Element Model (FEM) wasdeveloped to capture the effects of system deformation on plastic straingeneration in the features. The commercial code Abaqus 2017 by Simuliawas utilized to facilitate modeling tasks. A Standard analysis methodwas utilized to capture steady state deformation results withoutconsidering inertial effects. Two representative units of fastenermembers were placed in an unfastened configuration, then displacedtowards one another until full engagement occurred. A frictionlesscontact definition was established at the physical interface of the twofastener member units. An elastic-plastic material definition wasutilized with a Young's Modulus of 21,755 psi, a Poissons' ratio of0.33, a plastic yield strain of 10.6%, a yield stress of 2320 psi, anultimate strain of 50% and an ultimate stress of 2900 psi. The strainresults at nodes dispersed throughout the deformable mesh were monitoredfor a transition into plastic strain (irreversible deformation). LogStrain (True Strain) results of a Finite Element Model of arepresentative rail and post construction are shown in FIG. 3A. Straincontours are illustrated on the surface ranging from a minimum strain(white) to a maximum strain (black). FIG. 3A shows the fastening systemconstruction in its maximum deformation state with 11.19% strain. FIG.3B shows the fastening system construction in its final fastened statewith a maximum residual strain of 0.69%.

Illustrative Example A

A FEM was developed using the definitions of Example 5. Similarfastening features were used in this model in a capped rail to cappedrail system construction. The fastening features are illustrated in FIG.4 in their final fastened state. The nominal strain state in the finalfastened configuration results in 20.15% permanent plastic deformation,which may reduce the fastener's useful lifetime.

Various modifications and alterations of this disclosure may be made bythose skilled the art without departing from the scope and spirit of thedisclosure, and it should be understood that this disclosure is not tobe unduly limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein. Allpatents and patent applications cited above are hereby incorporated byreference into this document in their entirety.

1. A reclosable package comprising: a pouch defining an interior volumeand an opening providing access to the interior volume, wherein thepouch comprises a flexible material and a seal region disposed adjacentthe opening that is adapted to be broken to allow a first opening of thepouch; and a self-mating fastener connected to the pouch, wherein theself-mating fastener comprises first and second fastener members,wherein each of the first and second fastener members comprises: abacking having a length, a width, and a thickness; and rows of railsegments and rows of posts protruding perpendicularly from the backing,wherein the rows of rail segments and rows of posts alternate; whereineach of the rail segments has a base portion attached to the backing anda cap portion distal from the backing, wherein the cap portion has a capwidth that is greater than a width of the base portion, wherein the capportion overhangs the base portion on opposing sides, wherein the baseportion has a length that is greater than the width of the base portion,and wherein each of the posts has a height that is no greater than aheight of the rail segments and a length that is different from thelength of the rail segments; wherein the self-mating fastener furthercomprises an open configuration and a closed configuration, wherein whenin the open configuration the self-mating fastener is adapted to allowaccess to the interior volume of the pouch through the opening after theseal region has been broken, and wherein when in the closedconfiguration the self-mating fastener is adapted to prevent access tothe interior volume of the pouch through the opening.
 2. The package ofclaim 1, wherein the self-mating fastener is disposed adjacent theopening of the pouch.
 3. The package of claim 1, wherein the self-matingfastener is releasably fastenable.
 4. The package of claim 1, whereinthe self-mating fastener and the flexible material of the pouch areadapted to provide a maximum stiffness in resistance to bending about apouch axis perpendicular to a length of the self-mating fastener.
 5. Thepackage of claim 1, wherein the pouch further comprises front and backpanels, wherein the self-mating fastener is connected to the pouchadjacent a top edge of the pouch and extends between the first andsecond side edges of the pouch.
 6. The package of claim 5, furthercomprising a graphic disposed on the front panel of the pouch, wherein aportion of the graphic is disposed over the self-mating fastener whenthe fastener is in the closed configuration.
 7. The package of claim 5,wherein the opening extends between the first and second side edges ofthe pouch.
 8. The package of claim 1, wherein the self-mating fastenercomprises a force to open of at least about 0.1 Newtons and no greaterthan 1.0 Newton.
 9. The package of claim 1, wherein the self-matingfastener comprises a force to close of at least about 0.3 Newtons and nogreater than 3.0 Newtons.
 10. The package of claim 1, wherein the firstand second fastener members can slide relative to each other in adirection parallel to the length of the backing when the self-matingfastener is in the closed configuration.
 11. The package of claim 1,wherein a thickness of the backing of each of the first and secondfasteners combined with the height of the rail segments of each of thefirst and second fasteners is up to 3300 micrometers.
 12. The package ofclaim 1, wherein the first fastener member is disposed on an innersurface of a front panel of the pouch and the second fastener member isdisposed on an inner surface of a second portion of a back panel of thepouch.
 13. The package of claim 1, wherein the self-mating fastener isadhered to the pouch.
 14. The package of claim 1, wherein theself-mating fastener is ultrasonically bonded to the pouch.
 15. Thepackage of claim 1, wherein the opening of the pouch is defined by a topedge of the pouch.
 16. The package of claim 15, wherein the firstfastener member is disposed on an inner surface of a front paneladjacent the top edge of the pouch and the second fastener member isdisposed on an inner surface of a back panel adjacent the top edge ofthe pouch.
 17. The package of claim 1, further comprising a tie layerdisposed between at last one of the first and second fastener membersand the pouch.
 18. The package of claim 17, wherein the tie layercomprises a polyolefin elastomer.
 19. The package of claim 1, whereinthe posts have a lower bending stiffness than the rail segments.
 20. Thepackage of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the backing of each of thefirst and second fasteners combined with the height of the rail segmentsof each of the first and second fasteners is up to 800 micrometers.